Robin Schone's Blog - Posts Tagged "england"
"A Lady's Pleasure" is second, not third!
Because Captivated (September 1999) was published after The Lady's Tutor (August 1999), no doubt you assumed my novella in the anthology was my third work: It was not. I finished "A Lady's Pleasure" before I wrote TLT. In fact. . . . It was I who came up with the brain-child of Captivated. After winning my ordeal with fibroid tumors and HMOs (check here for the full story: http://www.robinschone.com/page/women...) I wanted to create a book that would celebrate women's sexuality. What better way, I thought, than to bring together the hottest names in the romance industry?
Okay. I had the plan, and I had the names of the authors I wanted. Two weeks after my myomectomy (an operation that removes fibroids rather than the uterus), I called Thea Devine: She agreed to contribute to the anthology! Two and one-half weeks after my myomectomy I felt so good - and so like my normal self, as Don (my husband) put it - that I drove to a local RWA chapter meeting in which Susan Johnson was speaking.
Was I nervous that night! Here I was, a little nobody with only one book under my belt, and I was daring to approach a New York Times Bestselling author! One, I might add, of whose books I was a fan. After much fidgeting and stomach-churning adrenaline, I got the chance to speak to Susan at a dinner after the meeting. She didn't laugh! OR turn up her nose. In fact, she said she had been approached by many authors - all of whose ideas for an anthology had fallen to the wayside - but if I succeeded, she would be more than happy to contribute. Bingo! Two down, one more to go. I am very happy to say that Bertrice Small also consented to be a part of Captivated.
But getting together the authors was just the beginning. . . . I still had to write my first novella!
After the initial excitement of having a publisher accept the anthology, I thought: Oh! A novella! Everyone says they're so easy, I should be able to write it in 2-3 weeks. Well, I did, and proudly presented it to Don, who in the past had claimed the title of being my worst critic and best fan. Well, my 'worst critic and best fan' yawned and said it was well-written. Somewhat offended, I asked: "But don't you like it?" He replied that there really wasn't that much to like. It's a cute story, he said, and that's all there is to it.
Well, indeed. I was determined to make him eat his words, so I sat down and redid the novella. I didn't so much rewrite it as weave more emotion and motivation into it. I believe agents/editors call it "fleshing out" a story. It was during this two-month process that I learned the difference between character-driven plots and action-driven plots. Well, my husband did indeed eat his words. Don . . . who is a big Stephen King fan . . . to this day says Robert is one of his all-time favorite heroes. High praise, indeed!
"A Lady's Pleasure," my second story, is a bridge between Awaken, My Love - which is lighter and more plot-driven - and the more intense, character-driven stories I now write. Without it, I would not have been able to write The Lady's Tutor. But that's another blog. . . .
Okay. I had the plan, and I had the names of the authors I wanted. Two weeks after my myomectomy (an operation that removes fibroids rather than the uterus), I called Thea Devine: She agreed to contribute to the anthology! Two and one-half weeks after my myomectomy I felt so good - and so like my normal self, as Don (my husband) put it - that I drove to a local RWA chapter meeting in which Susan Johnson was speaking.
Was I nervous that night! Here I was, a little nobody with only one book under my belt, and I was daring to approach a New York Times Bestselling author! One, I might add, of whose books I was a fan. After much fidgeting and stomach-churning adrenaline, I got the chance to speak to Susan at a dinner after the meeting. She didn't laugh! OR turn up her nose. In fact, she said she had been approached by many authors - all of whose ideas for an anthology had fallen to the wayside - but if I succeeded, she would be more than happy to contribute. Bingo! Two down, one more to go. I am very happy to say that Bertrice Small also consented to be a part of Captivated.
But getting together the authors was just the beginning. . . . I still had to write my first novella!
After the initial excitement of having a publisher accept the anthology, I thought: Oh! A novella! Everyone says they're so easy, I should be able to write it in 2-3 weeks. Well, I did, and proudly presented it to Don, who in the past had claimed the title of being my worst critic and best fan. Well, my 'worst critic and best fan' yawned and said it was well-written. Somewhat offended, I asked: "But don't you like it?" He replied that there really wasn't that much to like. It's a cute story, he said, and that's all there is to it.
Well, indeed. I was determined to make him eat his words, so I sat down and redid the novella. I didn't so much rewrite it as weave more emotion and motivation into it. I believe agents/editors call it "fleshing out" a story. It was during this two-month process that I learned the difference between character-driven plots and action-driven plots. Well, my husband did indeed eat his words. Don . . . who is a big Stephen King fan . . . to this day says Robert is one of his all-time favorite heroes. High praise, indeed!
"A Lady's Pleasure," my second story, is a bridge between Awaken, My Love - which is lighter and more plot-driven - and the more intense, character-driven stories I now write. Without it, I would not have been able to write The Lady's Tutor. But that's another blog. . . .
A Man and A Woman: Erotic Romance's 1st Eunuch
"A Man and A Woman" (Fascinated) is Connor/Muhamed's story, Ramiel's manservent in The Lady's Tutor.
Publisher's Weekly wrote that Connor is "probably the first 53-year-old eunuch to be a romantic hero." I don't know about that, but I do know that he fought me every step of the way. His life was private, and he wanted to keep it that way. Furthermore, he absolutely refused to let me romanticize any aspect of being a eunuch.
Instead, he revealed himself through one painful question after another, until finally I . . . and Megan . . . began to understood: Connor was a very, very lonely man who saw himself through the eyes of the men who would judge him, rather than through the eyes of the strong man circumstances had forced him to become.
Megan, however, refuses to judge Connor, just as she refuses to be judged by him.
More than one reader wrote expressing disbelief that a eunuch possessed sexual feelings, or in the case of Connor/Muhamed, that eunuchs who had been castrated while leaving the penis intact could sexually perform.
Both history and medicine are full of real-life men who have for one reason or another been castrated. Men with heartbreaking stories. Yet sometimes, those very same men whom we are supposed to pity . . . and who have been despised and ridiculed throughout history . . . provide the ultimate affirmation of our need to love and to be loved.
Eunuchs did and do have sexual feelings (many modern men must undergo castration due to cancer). Juvenal, a Roman satirist, wrote that Roman women enjoyed men who had been castrated after they reached maturity, because such eunuchs could still sexually perform but without causing impregnation. One particular account of a man who had been competely "shaved" (both testicles and penis cut off) profoundly touched me. Chief eunuch in charge of a harem, he himself kept a concubine, and was not only able to sexually satisfy his beloved, but by the intimate messaging of his prostate gland, was able to obtain sexual release, also.
I remember when typing the final chapter to "A Man and A Woman," a familiar thunk sounded overhead. Oops! I had stayed up all night writing . . . again. The familiar "thunk" was my husband's feet hitting the floor as he got out of bed and walked across the living room to turn on the radio, an early morning ritual. Almost immediately one of the most beautiful and haunting songs I had ever heard drifted down the stairs. It perfectly captured the pain Connor experienced and the beauty he found in Megan. I wrote the last sentence to the fading strains of Sting's Desert Rose.
Click here to learn how to win a free copy of the anniversary edition of Fascinated.
Publisher's Weekly wrote that Connor is "probably the first 53-year-old eunuch to be a romantic hero." I don't know about that, but I do know that he fought me every step of the way. His life was private, and he wanted to keep it that way. Furthermore, he absolutely refused to let me romanticize any aspect of being a eunuch.
Instead, he revealed himself through one painful question after another, until finally I . . . and Megan . . . began to understood: Connor was a very, very lonely man who saw himself through the eyes of the men who would judge him, rather than through the eyes of the strong man circumstances had forced him to become.
Megan, however, refuses to judge Connor, just as she refuses to be judged by him.
"You think a woman is a whore because she has physical needs?" she flared, forgetting that he rightfully thought her a prostitute. Forgetting that she had come to him out of loneliness, not to debate women's morality. "You do not think that women are entitled to take comfort in a man's embrace?"
"I do not know." His grating honesty shattered her anger; his breath lapped at her breasts. "I do not know what either men or women are entitled to. All I know is what I want..."
More than one reader wrote expressing disbelief that a eunuch possessed sexual feelings, or in the case of Connor/Muhamed, that eunuchs who had been castrated while leaving the penis intact could sexually perform.
Both history and medicine are full of real-life men who have for one reason or another been castrated. Men with heartbreaking stories. Yet sometimes, those very same men whom we are supposed to pity . . . and who have been despised and ridiculed throughout history . . . provide the ultimate affirmation of our need to love and to be loved.
Eunuchs did and do have sexual feelings (many modern men must undergo castration due to cancer). Juvenal, a Roman satirist, wrote that Roman women enjoyed men who had been castrated after they reached maturity, because such eunuchs could still sexually perform but without causing impregnation. One particular account of a man who had been competely "shaved" (both testicles and penis cut off) profoundly touched me. Chief eunuch in charge of a harem, he himself kept a concubine, and was not only able to sexually satisfy his beloved, but by the intimate messaging of his prostate gland, was able to obtain sexual release, also.
I remember when typing the final chapter to "A Man and A Woman," a familiar thunk sounded overhead. Oops! I had stayed up all night writing . . . again. The familiar "thunk" was my husband's feet hitting the floor as he got out of bed and walked across the living room to turn on the radio, an early morning ritual. Almost immediately one of the most beautiful and haunting songs I had ever heard drifted down the stairs. It perfectly captured the pain Connor experienced and the beauty he found in Megan. I wrote the last sentence to the fading strains of Sting's Desert Rose.
Click here to learn how to win a free copy of the anniversary edition of Fascinated.
A Lady's Pleasure is COMING!
Yay! A Lady's Pleasure is coming in eBOOK! I have a date: September. I have a book cover. Check it out on my FB page and let me know what you think: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi...
I am so excited. I don't know if I can wait until September!
Robin
I am so excited. I don't know if I can wait until September!
Robin
A Lady's Pleasure is HERE!
A Lady's Pleasure is now LIVE on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/A-Ladys-Pleasur... AND B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-lad....
A Lady's Pleasure first appeared in the #1 Amazon.com Bestselling Anthology, Captivated. International Bestselling "Sexpert" Susie Bright selected A Lady's Pleasure to demonstrate how to best write erotic romance.
I can't tell you what a thrill it is to offer you my sexy tale of a convalescing colonel and a lonely lady on holiday in eBook format. And as a single title! This is a dream come true. Without your continued support and lovely letters, this moment would not be happening.
Thank you!
Robin Schone
A Lady's Pleasure first appeared in the #1 Amazon.com Bestselling Anthology, Captivated. International Bestselling "Sexpert" Susie Bright selected A Lady's Pleasure to demonstrate how to best write erotic romance.
I can't tell you what a thrill it is to offer you my sexy tale of a convalescing colonel and a lonely lady on holiday in eBook format. And as a single title! This is a dream come true. Without your continued support and lovely letters, this moment would not be happening.
Thank you!
Robin Schone
Celebrate: It's Gabriel's Birthday!
November is the 1 year eBook anniversary of Gabriel's Woman. To commemorate this special occasion, I've dressed Gabriel up in a new cover. AND ... For the month of November only, Gabriel's Woman is available for only $2.99.
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Gabriels-Woman-...
B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gabri...
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/produ...
Join in the celebratation! I'm giving away 90 eCopies of Gabriel's Woman PLUS a specially designed mug (click here to see the There Is No Sin In Love mug give-away http://www.zazzle.com/no_sin_in_love_...). Submit to desire: Enter Gabriel's Birthday Contest here http://writerspace.com/contests/robin....
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Gabriels-Woman-...
B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gabri...
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/produ...
Join in the celebratation! I'm giving away 90 eCopies of Gabriel's Woman PLUS a specially designed mug (click here to see the There Is No Sin In Love mug give-away http://www.zazzle.com/no_sin_in_love_...). Submit to desire: Enter Gabriel's Birthday Contest here http://writerspace.com/contests/robin....
Awaken, My Love is HERE!
Awaken, My Love is now available in eBook format at Amazon, B&N and Kobo! WITH an intro letter written by moi, which you can read in the sample excerpt chapter at the below sites. At least, I think you can read it at B&N and Kobo. I know you can at Amazon!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-My-Love-...
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/awake...
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Awaken...
It seems like yesterday since Awaken, My Love was first published. I'm so excited that it is now available in eBook. And with such a sexy cover! Thank all of you for making this moment possible.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-My-Love-...
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/awake...
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Awaken...
It seems like yesterday since Awaken, My Love was first published. I'm so excited that it is now available in eBook. And with such a sexy cover! Thank all of you for making this moment possible.
How Well Do You Know Gabriel?
Well? How well DO you know Gabriel? Take this fun quiz (is there any other kind? lol) and test your Angel knowledge! http://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/resu...Let me know how you do ... and if you would like quizzes for my other books.
A Lady's Pleasure is only $.99!
To celebrate March Madness,
A Lady's Pleasure
... from the #1 Amazon.com Bestselling Anthology ... is now only $.99! I wanted this special rate to be available at all bookstores, but problems outside my control occurred. At any rate, for the entire month of March, A Lady's Pleasure is on sale at Amazon.com and B&N for only $.99.
A LADY'S PLEASURE
Abigail is a lonely spinster prepared to bid her dreams of passion farewell. Robert is a war-weary soldier who seeks shelter in a woman's desire. They strike a bargain to fulfill each others most erotic fantasies ... only to discover that passion is as life-altering as the storm that brings them together.
"Intimate, emotional and fulfilling." -The Romance Reader
"Schone can write erotic scenes that involve character's souls as well as their genitals." -All About Romance
*A Lady's Pleasure was selected by International Bestselling “Sexpert” Author Susie Bright to demonstrate how to best write erotic romance.
A LADY'S PLEASURE
Abigail is a lonely spinster prepared to bid her dreams of passion farewell. Robert is a war-weary soldier who seeks shelter in a woman's desire. They strike a bargain to fulfill each others most erotic fantasies ... only to discover that passion is as life-altering as the storm that brings them together.
"Intimate, emotional and fulfilling." -The Romance Reader
"Schone can write erotic scenes that involve character's souls as well as their genitals." -All About Romance
*A Lady's Pleasure was selected by International Bestselling “Sexpert” Author Susie Bright to demonstrate how to best write erotic romance.
THE LADY'S TUTOR is reissued!
I am so excited. The NEW reissue of The Lady's Tutor is now available in both trade paperback and eBook. Isn't the new cover gorgeous? To celebrate this momentous event, I am having a fun party on my FB page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-.... Come one and all, there are games and contests for everyone!The Lady's Tutor (2013 Trade Paperback Reissue) by Robin Schone
AN EDUCATION IN PLEASURE
Married young to a man hand-picked by her father, Elizabeth Petre is an ideal Victorian lady. She has borne two sons and endured sixteen years of selfless duty in a passionless marriage. Craving a man’s loving touch yet loyal to her wedding vows, Elizabeth is determined to seduce her coldly indifferent husband. She knows of only one man who can teach her the erotic secrets of love.
A LESSON IN LOVE
The bastard son of an English countess and an Arab sheik, Ramiel Devington was reared to embrace both Western culture and Eastern pleasure. Scorned by society and challenged by prim Elizabeth’s request, he undertakes her instruction in the art of sensual delight. But when the lessons become a temptation neither can resist, Elizabeth is forced to choose between obligation and a bold, forbidden passion…
"A sweeping adventure into the very heart of sensuality and the nature of passion." -RT Book Reviews TopPick and RT All-Time Favorite
"The Lady's Tutor is a beautifully written and original story that takes its cues from no one." -All About Romance DIK and voted #1 Erotic Romance.
Originally printed in 1999, The Lady’s Tutor may be purchased in both Print and eBook.
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ladys-Tutor...
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ladys-Tutor...
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ladys...
B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ladys...
The Lady's Tutor is $2.99!
The Lady's Tutor is now on sale for only $2.99 and is available at all major eBook stores. But hurry! This special offer is only good through September 28th, 2013.THE LADY'S TUTOR IS $2.99 AT THESE STORES:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Ladys-Tutor...
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ladys...
Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/book...
Sony Reader Store https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/rob...
